You're likely to get good advice here. I personally have no idea.

However, I would email the major brands (they usually have a customer contact email on their sites) asking that question and explaining your allergy. My experience is that most well-known wetsuit brands are very willing to give advice and help.

Meantime, you have a couple of months til the spring starts, so it's not as urgent as if you'd found this out in June. Good luck!

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

I'm guessing most Yammomoto rubbers are going to cause issues for you (the most popular neoprene used by wetsuit makers). Email Emilio at Desotosport.com and he can probably tell you if his suits would be ok for you (he uses a different rubber). Ditto for the folks at Xterra.

Another great resource is Dan (aka Slowman) who runs this site. Rumor has it he made a few wetsuits back in the day.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Have you had any luck? I've come across an athlete with a similar allergic reaction to wetsuits. I am looking for solutions on behalf of this guy.

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Rav Dighe
Coach & Director
w: http://www.alohatri.com
e: rav@alohatri.com

I too have an allergy to a wetsuit allergy - my notes here suggest it was IPBC, but I was discussing this with my dermatologist recently and this sounds more likely to what you have. I was told that it was an additive put into neoprene as a preservative. What originally set me off was a Nineteen Pipeline that I had rented from a local tri shop. But this was many years ago, and I've since found solutions.

I've since bought 2 wetsuits that have served me well:

• Desoto Black Pearl is made from a material that isn't neoprene. Emilio here was very good at helping me through the process, but like everything, he said he couldn't control what happens upstream. I can't speak for him for your situation, but he was willing to refund me a wetsuit if it didn't work. The wetsuit served me well, but after getting into the sport for a few years, I decided to upgrade for a fancy suit with some of the perks that you read about.
• Roka Maverick pro is my current wetsuit, and hasn't given me any issues. I was lucky that a friend had this suit and was willing to lend it to me to test. No reaction.

My advice is to find other swimmers and ask to borrow their wetsuits for spin, or just keep trying wetsuits at various shops. Let them know what you're doing and try on a suit for 20 mins and see what happens. I know it can be hard since each reaction is like a month of recovery (at least for me), but you don't have to wear the suit on your whole body. I tested the Roka on my legs at my desk before I decided to see what would happen if I sweat in it. I've also tried my Dad's Zoot (can't remember the model) and it didn't give any issues either, but I preferred the Roka to swim in.

My understanding is that this is primarily a lower quality / older model issue. You might have better luck (as I did) shopping at the higher end of the wetsuit price range.

I actually don't use the Black Pearl (Size 4) anymore and am willing to part with it on the cheap, though I'm in Canada so might get tricky trying to arrange something.

I also found my solution in Desoto Wetsuit. They are really helpful team and will provide all required information. I got it shipped from US so was a bit expensive but was worth it in the end. I am based in Kent, UK.

Hello, At De Soto Sport we are quite familiar with people who have had allergic reactions, including Theoria (Thiourea) or other forms of contact dermatitis, as a result of contact with certain wetsuit rubbers used in the market. We use a different kind of wetsuit rubber than what is found in other wetsuits, and a glue that is free of most chemicals that cause rashes like this. T1 WETSUITS are made of a different material, you can’t just go by the material and fabric content. It has to do with how that Neoprene is made.

We have a rather high success rate (well over 85%) with customers who have suffered with different forms of contact dermatitis. The most success has come from the First Wave Pullover and Bibjohn.

We just helped a man from Sweden a couple months ago. Have your friend email me please.

emilio@desotosport.com

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Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com